Gary Magnone
January 15, 2015
Going on epic beer adventures in the sprawling expanse of Los Angeles isn’t exactly easy. That’s why we launched Beerventure, a series of roaming events where we take LA’s thirstiest craft beer drinkers to a handful of the coolest and less well-known craft beer bars, breweries, bottle shops, and tasting rooms around town.
Recently we embarked on our maiden Beerventure voyage along with a group of Hopped LA’s closest fans. With transportation provided by LA Craft Beer Tours, we navigated the group to three of the best breweries in Los Angeles. To say it was epic is an understatement. Here’s what went down.
Three Weavers Brewing Company
Three Weavers was the first stop on our tour for a reason: they’re the best new brewery in LA. Our tasting consisted of their Seafarer Kolsch, Expatriate IPA, Deep Roots ESB, and then finished off with their limited collaboration IPA with Noble Ale Works, The Messenger. Molly, Three Weavers’ tasting room manager, also took our group on a tour of the brewery, where she told us the story of their opening, gave us explanations of the brewing equipment, broke down the brewing process, and previewed some of the exciting new releases they’ve got coming up. After the tour, our group rushed the bar to purchase some of Three Weavers’ awesome t-shirts, glassware, and the amazingly cool screen printed limited edition bottles of The Messenger IPA to take home as a souvenir.
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Smog City Brewing Company
Our next stop was Smog City in Torrance, where we had a drink-at-your-own-pace style tasting, consisting of their Little Bo Pils, Hoptonic IPA, Coffee Porter, and a beer of your choice. On that 4th taster, our group was divided, some gravitating towards their hoppy amber, Sabre-Toothed Squirrel, or Zwickel Bo Pils, their fresh nitro version of their flagship pilsner. But a big winner among the group was Saison Contraire, a delicious Saison generously dry-hopped and fermented with Brett. Although we were a little bummed about the low inventory of their cool shirts and hoodies, we were able to pick up a few bottles of Coffee Porter and Saison Contraire to enjoy later on that day.
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Beachwood Brewing & BBQ
And last up was Beachwood. Yes Beachwood, the 2014 winner of the Large Brewpub & Large Brewer of the Year awards at Great American Beer Festival. Not only was their beer lineup diverse in style, accompanied by a handful of guest taps, but their delicious BBQ food also came at the perfect time to soak up the beers tasted at the previous two breweries. Everyone enjoyed Beachwood’s food and beer offerings, but if I had to name a favorite, it was definitely their Laurel IPA, a 7.2% fresh and fruity India Pale Ale, hopped to the brim with Amarillo, Centennial, and Summit hops.
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In the end, the first Hopped LA Beerventure went off without a hitch. Everyone who came along had a great time, learned a lot more about the local LA beer scene than they did before, and had a really memorable beer experience that they probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. Mission accomplished. Want to come along for the next ride? Sign up for our email list and be one of the first to know!
Big thanks to our Beerventure transportation partner, LA Craft Beer Tours. They provide awesome public and private guided brewery tours for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, work events, or just exploring the LA brewery scene. Check out their schedule and book a seat!
